Frank Foster’s legacy as a sports contributor and educator is marked by exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to his community. He was Chair of the Snohomish County Sports Hall of Fame from its inception in 2008 until November 2023.
Frank’s academic journey began at Cascade High School, where he was a standout athlete, playing three years of varsity football and track. He was named All-Conference, qualified for State in the long jump his senior year, and was selected to the 1960s Cascade High School All-Decade Football Team. He earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Western Washington University and later obtained a master’s degree in educational administration from Seattle Pacific University.
Frank’s teaching career spanned various roles and subjects, from teaching Physical Education, Health, Social Studies, and Leadership at the junior high/middle school level to working with at-risk students in high school. His professional journey began at Rosehill School in Mukilteo and continued at Olympic View Junior High School and Mariner High School, where he also took on the roles of coach, Athletic Director, and Vice Principal. At Mariner High School, Frank was instrumental in shaping the athletic programs and supporting student-athletes’ academic and personal growth. He later became the Vice Principal and Athletic Director at Kamiak High School, further solidifying his impact on the community.
As a coach, Frank led junior high boys’ and girls’ basketball, boys’ football, and girls’ softball teams. At the high school level, he coached football and boys JV basketball. He also held other significant roles like being a trainer for the 1985 East-West All-Star Football game and event manager for the 2002 NCAA Seattle Bowl a football game featuring Oregon and Wake Forest. He also has sports announcing and broadcasting experience for football, basketball, and baseball games.
Frank’s contributions to the community included serving as a volunteer board member for the YMCA, chairing the Mukilteo Parks and Arts Commission, and participating in the Snohomish County Board of Equalization. He served as chair of the Snohomish County Sports Commission before becoming chair of the Snohomish County Sports Hall of Fame.
Frank Foster’s contributions to education, sports, and community service are a testament to his selfless spirit.
Continue reading to hear more about Frank’s career and involvement in athletics.
SCSC: Tell me about your time growing up in athletics, playing at Cascade High School.
FOSTER: I grew up in the Mukilteo/Everett area and attended junior high in Mukilteo and then went to Cascade. I believed we were the 4th graduating class, but I’m not sure exactly. I was fortunate enough to play varsity football all three years at Cascade. I also did track for three years and basketball for one. In football, I was All Conference for all three years I was there. I was also the Co-captain or Tri captain of the teams. With track, I was fortunate enough to go to state my senior year which was a goal of mine. In athletics, it was a wonderful experience because it was something that I loved to do. I met a lot of fine fellow athletes and some of them became lifelong friends, so in that way it was quite rewarding.
SCSC: What was your biggest achievement from this time?
FOSTER: Beating Everett twice in my senior year. We were the new school in the area, and they had been dominating us. We vowed after our junior year that we were going to come back and not let that happen again, and we beat them. Another achievement that meant a lot to me was being selected to the All Decade Football team for Cascade.
SCSC: What made you want to be a teach/coach/AD?
FOSTER: I was always involved and enjoyed athletics. One of my idols was Jim Ennis, he was the athletic director in Everett and got to know him on a personal level. He shared with me all that you can do when you get into an administrative role with athletics, whether it be coaching or as the athletic director. I was fortunate enough to coach high school football and then boys’ basketball later on as the JV basketball coach. From there, I went on to get a master’s degree in athletic administration and then I got my principals credentials which led to becoming athletic director at Mariner. I then went over to Kamiak and became the activity coordinator and then the athletic director. The highlight of my athletic directors’ career was when my peers selected me as the president of the WESCO athletic directors. That was a very big honor for me.
SCSC: What are some key lessons you’ve learned as a coach that you think are applicable to life outside of sports?
FOSTER: Treat your athletes with respect. Develop a positive environment for everyone, whether it was players or staff members so that they don’t view their work or practices as drudgery, rather something they look forward to. That was something that coaching and my administrative career taught me. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. That was my mantra to coaching and administration.
SCSC: Who has been your biggest influence or mentor throughout your career?
FOSTER: Obviously, my coaches. I’m only going to single out one person because he epitomized making sports fun, and that was Ernie Dire. He later went on to become the athletic director in Everett and he was also a building administrator at Everett High. We just bonded. I played for him, he was my track coach and then later on, he and I became friends professionally and socially and personally. He provided a lot of good insights for me. I had other coaches that were very good, but he and I developed more of a personal relationship after playing and graduating.
SCSC: What made you want to start the Snohomish County Sports Hall of Fame?
FOSTER: I volunteered at the University of Washington on their Hall of Fame. I thought to myself “Okay, wait a minute. I know people in Snohomish County that that have achieved as much as some of these folks”. There wasn’t a Hall of Fame and there wasn’t someone spearheading it.
I remember listening to Senator Ted Kennedy at the memorial for Robert Kennedy, and he used the quote “Some people see things and ask why, others see things and say why not”. That was kind of the approach to it. Why isn’t someone doing this? I kind of went from there.
SCSC: What are you most proud of RE the HOF?
FOSTER: Firstly, that the idea came to fruition. Secondly, that there were so many wonderful, wonderful people on the committee that rolled up their sleeves and said “Hey, what can we do?”. The feedback we got from inductees; many of them were pretty doggone emotional over being celebrated. Finally, what we learned about some of the inductees, that many of us did not know about until we read their biographies, was so impressive. Put that all together and that’s what I feel really good about with the Hall of Fame.
SCSC: How do you believe sports can positively impact community development?
FOSTER: I believe that it enables athletes to discover what they can do and what is still out there for them to accomplish. It’s also priceless in regard to the community itself, rallying around athletes.
SCSC: What does your life look like now?
FOSTER: I work for Central Washington University, and I supervise student teachers. It’s just a delight to work with them.
SCSC: What does this induction mean to you?
FOSTER: The first thing that came to mind when Jon Nehring called me was, that I was humbled and thrilled beyond words. I did not expect that. A person does their job and they’re not looking for accolades. The accolade for them is the project itself. When I got that call, it was unbelievable and so humbling. Also to be in the company of the class of 2024 and all the previous inductees, it’s incredible.
We are looking forward to honoring Frank and the 7 other inductees at the 2024 Hall of Fame Banquet on September 25th.